The last time we heard from Swedish designer, craftsman and innovator Love Hultén, he was sending ripples through the design community with his modular Brix System of handcrafted wooden electronic devices.
Inspired by his own childhood experiences of playing with the retro 1979-1987 “Legoland Space” LEGO bricks, the conceptual collection consists of eight 6:1 scale versions of classic LEGO brick shapes that are each fully functional in some way or another.
More recently, the designer – who operates out of a one-man studio in Gothenburg, Sweden – further tapped into his retro space nostalgia to create yet another collection of handcrafted electronic devices consisting of full-size coin-op arcade cabinets.
Inspired by early space travels, vintage audio mixing consoles and industrial cabinets, the retro-futuristic bodies of his Pixelkabinett 42 Collection brings the past to the present while simultaneously running a customized built-in modern computer that can emulate multiple arcade games through MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator).
Created from both Ash and American Walnut, the cabinets feature some clever details that hark back to a generation of retro space travel including four rocket nozzle feet, a built-in glowing planetarium and an engraved saturn speaker grill. When not in use, a folding lid can enclose the system to keep dust out similar to a vinyl record player.
Currently, the Pixelkabinett 42 Collection is limited to 50 units, however Hultén has included a contact form on his site for custom orders, too. A unit can be purchased for €3,699.00 ($4046.00) over at Hultén’s Online Store.
